Catnip
by Crawler
Summary: Tugger brings Munkustrap a catnip mouse, and the two spend a fun night together, unaware that something so simple would change their relationship... forever? Ritzkin Arc 5
1. Chapter 1

Title: Catnip (1/3)  
Rating: PG-13 - R? Not quite that high...  
Warnings: Drug usage (catnip), strong language, fade-to-black sex scene between two males...(sorry if you don't like slash or yaoi, but it is kinda required for the plot as a whole. If it makes you feel any better, both males are very high at the time.)  
Summary: Tugger brings Munkustrap one of his toys, and the two share an exhilarating, catnip-filled night. Unbeknownst to them at the time, this one night will change their relationship... forever?

You should be reading the Ritzkin Arc in order, to understand everything that's going on.

Roleplays:

If you're not into RPing, feel free to skip this part, but I get paid for these ads! (they give me reviews for my stories on their sites too!)

Ourjellicle (o u r j e l l i c l e s . p r o b o a r d s 5 1 . c o m ). is a normal Cats RP set after the Jellicle Ball. Currently, Macavity has taken over the junkyard, but the Jellicles escaped safely. They're enlisting the help of a crew of pirates, though, to reclaim their yard… but that decision may cause more pain than pleasure.

One of These Nights (w w w . s 8 . c r e a t e p h p b b . c o m / o n e o f t h e s e n I g h t / I n d e x . p h p ? m f o r u m (equal sign) o n e o f t h e s e n I g h t) is an AU RP where the Jellicles are human members of a band (named Jellicle). Tugger (taken) is the lead singer, with Bombalurina (taken), Alonzo, and Plato as other members, and the rest of the Jellicles helping out as friends, stage hands, special effects, etc. Munkustrap (taken by me) is the manager of the band, and his father, Deuteronomy, is a huge music mogul. Macavity leads the rival band, the Depraved. If you're interested, come on by!

I do not own Cats!

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_**Catnip**_

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"Yo, 'Straps." Tugger stood by the side of the car, grinning up at Munkustrap. He held something furry in his paws. 

Munkustrap frowned at it, but jumped down beside his friend. "What is that, Tugger?"

"Catnip mouse," Tugger answered. "C'mon, I brought it so you could try some. Ever had 'nip before?"

Munkustrap shook his head, following Tugger under the car to the rubbish cavern they had found one day. It was more of a squeeze than usual for Tugger to get in, and Munkustrap was feeling the tunnel closer to his sides than before as well. They were almost too big for this.

The cavern, though, was more spacious than the entrance, created by bits and pieces of things humans had thrown away that fell in such a way as to create a gap underneath the pile. Munkustrap could make out part of a door, and he was pretty sure a car hood made up the top.

Tugger neatly slit the 'mouse' open with a claw (if that was a mouse, then Munkustrap was a Pollicle) and buried his nose in the dried green herb that spilled out. "Mmm… it's still almost fresh. Try some." He passed the mouse over to Munkustrap, licking pieces off his face.

Munkustrap hesitantly took the mouse, sniffing cautiously before imitating what Tugger had done, taking a deep whiff of the herb. He staggered slightly, blinking. "It's strong…"

"Yeah…" Tugger had a grin on his face as he reached for the mouse again. "Isn't it great?"

Munkustrap felt a smile pull at his mouth, and he grinned up at his friend. "Oh _yes…_"

* * *

"So, Grizabella. She's this Glamour Cat, right? The story goes that she's Dad's oldest Jellicle daughter – gorgeous cat, but I've never met her." 

"If she's so pretty, why is she used to scare kittens?" Munkustrap rolled on the spilled catnip, bumping into Tugger and purring.

"See, that's the mystery." Tugger turned onto his back, pawing at the air. "I don't know. I mean, she left before I was born. She ran off to explore the world… too good for us, they say. She's a wicked cat, they say, she hung out with Leviticus before the Monniks were formed. I guess that's why she's used to scare kittens."

"But: 'Behave or Grizabella will take you away?'" Munkustrap frowned, trying to wrap his stoned mind around a problem with that. His tail flicked back and forth as he thought, curling around Tugger's foot with each sweep. Tugger would purr and kick at each curl. "How does she take you away?" he finally asked. That didn't seem to be the right problem, but it was _a _problem, and _a _problem was better than _no _problem.

"Uh…" Tugger squirmed, curling his body into a C. "She eats them?"

"That can't be it," Munkustrap said, stretching as long as he could. "Why would a Glamour Cat _eat _kittens?"

"Hmm…" Tugger curled his tail up, brushing the tip against his stomach. "Maybe she…" He giggled.

"What?" Munkustrap turned his head to look over at his giggling friend. "Maybe she what?"

"Maybe she _sexes _them away," Tugger said, grinning at Munkustrap.

"Sexes them?" Munkustrap looked puzzled.

Tugger nodded, rolling over and over until he was on top of Munkustrap. "Yeah, you know. Seduces. Like, ooh, baby, I can give you such a good time if you just come with me… Mrowr." Tugger curled his tail around one of Munkustrap's legs, purring as he gave his impression of Grizabella.

Munkustrap giggled as well, playing along. He draped his paws over Tugger's shoulders, returning the purr. "Oh, Grizabella, yes, take me away!" He could barely get the words out for laughing.

Tugger laughed too, collapsing on top of Munkustrap, his body shaking from mirth. Munkustrap kept his paws loosely wrapped around Tugger, seeing no reason to move. Eventually, their laughter died down to merely silly grins, grins which turned thoughtful as they studied each other's face mere inches away.

Tugger made the first move, but Munkustrap leaned up to meet him partway, their lips meeting in a kiss that was neither neat nor particularly memorable, save that it was their first. Then Tugger cupped Munkustrap's face between his paws, and Munkustrap slid one of his paws up to the back of Tugger's head, and they kissed again, and this time, it was nice. Their lips slid against each other's, slow and lazy. Munkustrap rubbed Tugger's back with his paw, and Tugger traced circles on Munkustrap's lip with his tongue. He rolled his hips against the silver tabby's below him, and Munkustrap's mouth opened with a gasp. Tugger took this as an opportunity to explore, pushing his tongue past sharp fangs and into the depths of Munkustrap's mouth.

Munkustrap moaned, his paws now kneading Tugger's thick fur. He pressed into the kiss, trailing his tongue against Tugger's before pushing against it, fighting to get it out of his mouth. Tugger made an amused sound, letting Munkustrap chase him out, but he nipped lightly at Munkustrap's tongue. Munkustrap pulled back with a glare reminiscent of his Ritzkin days, and Tugger openly laughed, kissing his nose.

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Soooo... what did you think? 


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Catnip (2/3)  
Rating: PG-13 - R? Not quite that high...  
Warnings: Drug usage (catnip), strong language, fade-to-black sex scene between two males...  
Summary: Tugger brings Munkustrap one of his toys, and the two share an exhilarating, catnip-filled nice. Unbeknownst to them at the time, this one night will change their relationship... forever?

You should be reading the Ritzkin Arc in order, to understand everything that's going on.

Again, roleplays, normal cats (o u r j e l l i c l e s . p r o b o a r d s 5 1 . c o m) or AU humans in a band (w w w . s 8 . c r e a t e p h p b b . c o m / o n e o f t h e s e n i g h t / i n d e x . p h p ? m f o r u m (equal sign) o n e o f t h e s e n i g h t)

I do not own Cats!

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Catnip

* * *

Munkustrap woke up with a groan and a pounding headache. The world seemed to be waaaaay too bright, and he ached, but he was comfortably warm. He groaned again, beginning to push himself up, but a paw snaked around his waist and a throaty voice sleepily murmured, "Don't go, baby… there's no rush…"

Munkustrap's world suddenly snapped into sharp focus. Tugger! And the catnip! And they had… Tugger had… with him… and he hadn't tried to stop it… "Everlasting Cat…" Munkustrap whispered, covering his mouth with both paws.

Behind him, Tugger was purring, still mostly asleep, but he pulled Munkustrap closer anyway with enough force to knock the smaller cat down. "Much better," he murmured, nuzzling against the back of Munkustrap's neck.

"Stop it!" Munkustrap hissed, turning to swat Tugger's nose. _That_ woke him up, and Tugger smacked back, temporarily intensifying Munkustrap's headache.

"What was that for!? I was having a good dream!"

"You were cuddling with me!" Munkustrap cried, jumping away from Tugger now that he was released.

"Was not!" Tugger retorted with a scowl. "I _don't_ cuddle."

"Certainly felt like cuddling from my end." Munkustrap began to groom himself, trying to rid himself of the combined scent of Tugger and himself, of the scent of the catnip (faded, now, but still present around them), of the scent of their… ah… _activities _from the previous night.

"What's got your tail in a twist?" Tugger grumbled, following Munkustrap's lead and grooming himself as well, though with none of the frantic urgency that Munkustrap was showing. "It was just a bit of catnip. There's nothing _wrong_ about it. Simbol's not going to kick you out of the guardians for having a bit of fun." He pointed a paw at Munkustrap. "I know for a fact that Simbol himself enjoys his 'nip. Jenny brings him some whenever she comes for a visit."

"Why are you talking about Simbol?" Munkustrap asked peevishly, glancing over at Tugger.

"Because, with you, _everything's_ about Simbol."

"It is not!"

"Is too!" Tugger clawed the air in Munkustrap's direction. "I swear, ever since you became a guardian, it's been Simbol this, Simbol that. Simbol wouldn't want me to do that, I don't want to do this because it might make Simbol mad, Simbol's gonna be so disappointed in me, I want to make Simbol proud, Simbol, Simbol, Simbol!" He smacked his paw against the ground. "I never should have told you about the guardians. You've become such a spoilsport, so worried about what your precious Simbol will think."

"And you don't worry enough!" Munkustrap snapped back. "You do things that could get the entire tribe in trouble, on a daily basis! One of us has to worry, or all of us could end up dead!"

"Things like befriending an evil Monnik?"

Munkustrap's eyes widened before they narrowed. "Low blow, Rum. _Low_ blow."

"Bah." Tugger shrugged and sniffed. "You were more fun when you were an evil Monnik, and not an upstanding young Jellicle tom." Munkustrap hissed at Tugger, his ears flat, arching his back. Tugger just sniffed again. "Seriously, what's got your tail in a twist? You're acting like a spoiled Scabee queen. I mean, come on, it was just some 'nip! Yeah, it was your first time, so you've probably got a headache, but so what? Why are you so pissy this morning?"

Munkustrap scuffed his paw against the ground, watching Tugger. "Do you even remember what we _did _last night?"

"We… talked," Tugger said, frowning. "What's wrong with talking?"

"_After_ the talking."

Tugger snickered. "What, did you act like an idiot or something? Don't worry, I don't remember, so I won't be spreading stories around. Might make stuff up, though… it would be funny!"

Munkustrap shook his head. "That's not it, either."

Tugger spread his paws. "Then what, 'Straps? I don't remember. I rarely do."

Munkustrap stared at Tugger. He had… they had… and Tugger _didn't remember_? Oddly enough, he felt hurt by that. "No… never mind… it's not important," he mumbled, looking down. If Tugger didn't remember, he wouldn't remind him, and nobody would have to know.

"No, come on. Tell me." Tugger took a step closer to Munkustrap. "Did _I_ do something stupid? Tell me!"

"Define stupid," Munkustrap sighed, running a paw over his face.

"Um… did I try to fuck you?" Tugger scratched his ear. "'Cause I usually do that with queens and catnip. Except I succeed. Or maybe… did I say anything about not exactly hating Simbol?"

"Yeah, you did something stupid," Munkustrap muttered, rubbing his face again.

"I confessed that I didn't think Simbol's a stick-in-the-mud!?"

If Munkustrap wasn't so depressed, he would have laughed at the expression of horror on Tugger's face. Instead, he shook his head. "No… the other thing. Except you succeeded."

Tugger's eyes went wide. "I _fucked_ you?"

Munkustrap nodded, staring at his paws.

"Wow…" Tugger fluffed his mane. "Wow. I mean… wow."

"You said that already," Munkustrap muttered.

Tugger laughed. "_Damn_, I'm good!"

"_Tugger_!" Munkustrap smacked Tugger again, leaving four scratches against the larger tom's cheek.

Tugger yowled and leapt back, glaring at Munkustrap. Though they usually batted at and wrestled with each other, claws seldom came out. "That was uncalled for. Did I _rape_ you last night or something? Because if you were willing – and the fact that you're still here implies you were, then it's damn well not my fault entirely. _You_ participated too. Sorry if you're having second thoughts, or regrets, or any queen shit like that, but that doesn't mean you get to take it out on me!"

Munkustrap hissed and circled around, pacing agitatedly. "So… so maybe I didn't protest as much as I should have. That doesn't mean you have any right to act so… so… so _proud_ of it!"

"And why not?" Tugger carefully washed the new scratches on his cheek. "I got to fuck you. Are you even aware that the queens have been after your tail for months now? They think you're the second-best tom in the yard-"

"No need to ask who the first is," Munkustrap muttered under his breath.

"-and want to see how you measure up… elsewhere. But you keep blowing them off, being_ sooo _polite but never actually giving them anything. The only one you even show the _remotest_ amount of interest in is Demeter, and I think you're just feeling bad because your brother pretty much raped _her. _" Tugger scowled at Munkustrap. "Why shouldn't I be proud of succeeding where all those queens failed?"

"It's not natural!"

"Natural-smatural," Tugger sniffed. "You only live once, 'Straps, and I'm pretty happy to be able to say I had a piece of your tail. You _are _a gorgeous tom, almost as much as me."

"Can you _be_ any vainer?" Munkustrap asked, turning on Tugger with a glare. "If all I ever talk about is Simbol, all you ever talk about is yourself! Yourself and your queen conquests! And now you're lumping me in with them! I'm not some tail for you to catch, Rum Tum Tugger, so stop thinking I am!"

"So stop acting like one!" Tugger retorted, returning Munkustrap's glare. "You're being just as pissy as a queen right now – why shouldn't I treat you like one?"

"Well maybe I-" Munkustrap snapped his mouth shut and closed his eyes, remembering lectures Simbol had given him in the past.

You do not retaliate tit for tat.

"Nothing," Munkustrap said, shaking his head. "You know what? Forget it. Forget last night ever happened. _I'll_ certainly deny it." With an angry flick of his tail, he wriggled out of their secret den and stomped off for his own. He could hear Tugger hiss after him, but he ignored the cat who once was his best friend, his closer-than-brother.

* * *

Uh-oh. Thinks aren't so great in the world of Munkus and Tugger...

Review me?


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Catnip (3/3)  
Rating: PG-13 - R? Not quite that high...  
Warnings: Drug usage (catnip), strong language, fade-to-black sex scene between two males...  
Summary: Tugger brings Munkustrap one of his toys, and the two share an exhilarating, catnip-filled night. Unbeknownst to them at the time, this one night will change their relationship... forever?

You should be reading the Ritzkin Arc in order, to understand everything that's going on.

Once again, two role-plays. An AU Cats-are-humans-in-a-band game, One of These Nights (w w w . s 8 . c r e a t e p h p b b . c o m / o n e o f t h e s e n i g h t / i n d e x . p h p ? m f o r u m (equal sign) o n e o f t h e s e n i g h t) and a normal Cats RP in which the Jellicles are about to get into a boatload of trouble as they turn to pirates for help (o u r j e l l i c l e s . p r o b o a r d s 5 1 . c o m)

I do not own Cats!

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Catnip

* * *

"Munkus?" Demeter was sitting next to the entrance to Munkustrap's usual den, her tail curled tightly around her paws. Other than that nervous sign, she seemed happy and relaxed. Living with Bombalurina, with the Jellicles, was really working wonders on the small queen's nerves. She had only been with them for a pawful of months, but already she had stopped jumping at every slight sound or movement. "Are you all right? You weren't in your den… I thought you had left without me."

"Wha… oh! Mousing!" Munkustrap remembered that he had asked Demeter if she wanted to go mousing with him one morning, and they had agreed upon this day. With the spat with Tugger, he had almost completely forgotten about his promise to the pretty queen. "I'm sorry I made you worry – Tugger stayed over last night. I was with him."

Demeter smiled and rose to her feet. Again, she held her tail stiffly (despite the Jellicles' presence, she was still very wary of Macavity (or someone else) hurting her again), but otherwise looked content. "I didn't _really_ think you had wandered off without me, though I was afraid that you had. You're too nice to cancel without telling me."

Munkustrap smiled and brushed his paw against hers in a friendly way (nuzzling, even the type between friends, was still out with this skittish queen, but she was at least letting him touch her now). "I wouldn't have left without you. Not after I promised."

Demeter purred for a few seconds, stepping up beside Munkustrap. "Well? Shall we go?

Munkustrap nodded. "Yes, let's –"

"Munkustrap!" Simbol's voice interrupted the silver tabby as the large Protector approached the pair. "Do you have some time?" He gave Demeter a flat look before turning his bright gold eyes on Munkustrap.

"I…" Munkustrap looked between the Protector, his boss, and Demeter, his friend. "I actually…" As a guardian, Munkustrap was supposed to be available at all times if needed… but the Jellicles weren't under attack. What could Simbol want with him?

Demeter shook her head, reaching over to touch Munkustrap's paw. "It's okay… you should do your job."

"Demeter… I'm sorry." Munkustrap said.

"It's okay," Demeter said with a faint smile. "Protecting the tribe is important. We can go mousing some other time." She patted Munkustrap's paw before waving her tail in farewell and darting off.

Munkustrap watched her go before turning to Simbol with a scowl. First there was the whole mess with Tugger, and now he was being pulled away from his date with Demeter. Except it wasn't a date. They were just going out as friends. But not really going out. Just going mousing. As friends.

Simbol ducked his head faintly. "I apologize for disrupting your day, but there is something you need to begin working on."

And when Simbol apologized, Munkustrap couldn't stay angry with him. Simbol's apologies were rare. Munkustrap sighed and hung his head. "What do you need me to do?"

"Follow me." Simbol led Munkustrap toward the edge of the junkyard, where the little human building was. He leapt up onto the window sill and nodded through the glass. Inside, a human tom was sitting at a table, drinking something from a mug. Munkustrap recognized him as the junkyard's human, a stray who often spent the days in the yard. "This is Tomtail."

"Tomtail?" Munkustrap wrinkled his nose. "That's a stupid name."

"It's a human name," Simbol explained. "As close an approximation as we can get, at least." He meowed and scratched at the window. Tomtail looked up, and his large face split with a grin.

Munkustrap pawed his whiskers. "Ugh. He's disgusting."

"But he's harmless, as humans go," Simbol said, sitting back and letting Tomtail open the window. "Come on." He jumped into the room, letting Tomtail pat his head and back, muttering unintelligibly. "This way, Munkustrap." He crossed the room and jumped up onto the table Tomtail had been sitting at, and he poked a photograph with his nose. "These are the humans you need to know about. Tomtail, his mate, Lizardbet, and their kitten, Nod."

Munkustrap studied the picture, identifying each of the humans and matching them to the odd names. "Why do I have to-" He broke off with a screech, jumping away from Tomtail, who had tried to pet him, and hid behind Simbol, hissing. Tomtail backed away, his hands raised, still talking in the crude human tongue.

Simbol rolled his eyes and batted Munkustrap's nose. "Oh, be nice. Tomtail is my pet."

Munkustrap stared at Simbol. "Tomtail is _your_ pet? You _have_ a pet?" He had thought that all the feral cats, Simbol included, had chosen not to have pets, unlike the house cats. He had thought Tomtail was a stray, not the pet of the Jellicle Protector!

Simbol shrugged. "He's not exactly a pet, but he's close. He assists me in watching over the junkyard. Sometimes, Nod comes in, and every now and then, Lizardbet shows up. You need to be able to identify them, so you do not attack. Now, go apologize to Tomtail. You made him think he did something bad, when he was trying to respect you."

With a grumble, Munkustrap padded toward Tomtail, his tail tucked close to his legs, his ears laid back. "I'm sorry," he muttered. Tomtail lowered his hand to Munkustrap's face, and Munkustrap, after glancing back to Simbol to see what he was supposed to do, leaned forward and butted his head against the human's clumsy fingers. Tomtail made a pleased sound and began to pet Munkustrap. At first, Munkustrap cringed under the heavy hand, but he tolerated the touch, looking back at Simbol. "Am I done now?"

Simbol was washing his paws in a decidedly amused way as he watched Munkustrap. "No. I said there was something you needed to work on, remember? Well, it's your languages."

Munkustrap bristled. "What's wrong with my languages? I can speak Dog and Rodent fluently, I'm decent in Bird, and I can make myself understood in Fish and Lizard. I'm almost-fluent in Snake, and Raccoon and Fox are just a mix of Dog and Cat with some pieces of Rodent. Bug isn't worth learning."

"Human," Simbol said. "How much Human do you know?"

Munkustrap fidgeted, and Tomtail withdrew his hand, that huge, ungainly smile on his face again. "A couple words," he said. "The important ones."

Simbol shook his head. "Not good enough. You need to be fluent in Human, if you want to be a semi-decent guardian. Tomtail's going to teach you."

"Can't I just use a translator?"

"There may come a time when there is no time. You need to understand for yourself what the humans are saying. We may keep them as pets, but they can be dangerous in their own rights. Whenever you have a moment's free time, I want you to track down Tomtail and let him talk to you. Try to figure out what he's saying. You can ask Admetus or myself if you have anything you need translated. The house cats can also be helpful – I'm sure Tugger will be happy to give you some extra lessons."

Munkustrap curled his lip at the mention of Tugger and jumped up onto the windowsill, staring out at the junkyard. "No he won't," he muttered.

Simbol cocked his head to the side. "Is something wrong?"

"Tugger…" Munkustrap shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong. Nothing you need to worry about. I need to stick with Tomtail?"

Simbol nodded. "Yes. Listen to him. The sooner you become fluent, the sooner you'll be allowed to roam again. He shouldn't do anything untoward, but if he does, don't hesitate to discipline him with your claws or fangs."

"Aren't you going to stick around?" Munkustrap looked down at Simbol. "You're leaving me?"

Simbol smiled and stretched. "I already know Human fluently. I have no need to stay here. Behave yourself, now." He jumped onto the windowsill and then outside, sauntering back to the junkyard.

Munkustrap sighed and laid down on the sill, turning a baleful eye toward Tomtail. "Well? Go on, start talking."

Tomtail stepped closer to Munkustrap and held out his hand near Munkustrap's nose, beginning to speak in his slow, human tongue.

* * *

"How are your lessons going?"

Munkustrap's bath was interrupted by Demeter's soft voice, and he lowered his leg, looking over at the queen with a smile. "Well enough. I'm understanding a lot more of what Tomtail's saying now, and he's actually somewhat interesting to listen to. He talks about his family a lot."

"Lizardbet and Nod?" Demeter laid down next to Munkustrap, curling her tail tightly around her forepaws. "Have you met either of them yet?"

Munkustrap shook his head. "No, not yet, but Nod's apparently doing well in something called "school," where he gets a lot of A's."

"A's?" Demeter wrinkled her nose. "What's an A… and why would you want it? Or a lot of it?"

Munkustrap shrugged. "I haven't figured that out yet. I was going to ask Deuteronomy about it, next time I saw him." Munkustrap had taken to asking Deuteronomy all his translation questions. The old cat never made him feel like an idiot, and it meant he didn't have to reveal to Simbol just how much he didn't know.

"Why not just ask Tugger?" Demeter asked. "He's in the junkyard tonight – I saw Bomba leave with him just ten minutes ago."

Munkustrap turned his face away, flexing his claws. "I'm not going to ask _that_ cat anything." Demeter bristled beside Munkustrap, her eyes dilating slightly, a sign that she was afraid. Munkustrap, sensing her distress, forced himself to relax. He offered her a tiny smile. "Sorry, Deme. Tugger and I… well… we're not exactly talking right now."

"Not talking?" Demeter shook her head in confusion. "But you two are best friends! You've been friends longer than I've been in the junkyard… Bomba says you two have been friends ever since you first showed up here! How can you two not be talking?"

With a sigh, Munkustrap rested his head on his paws. "We… kinda got into a fight. He did something stupid, and I… I didn't stop him, and then we got mad at each other… and now we're just not talking."

Demeter frowned, watching Munkustrap. "Shouldn't you two forgive each other? I'd just die if Bomba and I stopped talking to each other. She's… she's my whole family, now."

Munkustrap closed his eyes and swallowed thickly. "Yeah… Tugger's pretty much my whole family too…" He did miss his friend. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were the only other cats who knew the truth about his past, the only other cats he really felt safe around… but they were off, had been off, with their humans (they had found some fun humans who lived in Victoria Grove, and adopted them). Munkustrap hadn't seen either thief for several weeks now. But even if they had been around, they weren't the same as Tugger, his best friend, his brother, his partner-in-crime and in Admetus-bashing. Tugger, who had been teaching him how to dance. Tugger, who he had been teaching how to fight.

"Maybe you should apologize," Demeter suggested.

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Munkustrap said, his fur bristling.

Demeter put her paw on Munkustrap's back, smoothing down his fur. "If you want him to be your friend again, _someone_ has to apologize, and if _you_ want him to be your friend, then _you_ should take the first step."

Munkustrap closed his eyes again and huffed. "Why do you always have to make sense, Demeter?"

Demeter giggled, tucking her paw beneath her again. "Because I'm a queen, and you're a tom. Queens are supposed to make sense where toms hit a brick wall. Now go find him and apologize."

* * *

Tugger was easy to find. He was sprawled out across the tire, lazily soaking up the moonlight as he chatted with Bombalurina. Those two had the oddest relationship – they were completely smitten with each other, but at the same time, were completely disgusted by the other's vain and flirtatious ways. No matter their relationship status, though, they were good friends. Even in the middle of a fight with each other, they would team up against an outside antagonist. It was with an uneasy heart that Munkustrap crept toward the pair. Right now, Tugger was opposed to him, which meant Bombalurina probably was as well… but he had Demeter on his side, and Bombalurina always chose Demeter over Tugger…

Tugger glanced briefly over at Munkustrap as the silver tabby approached the tire before he turned up his nose, scowling. Bombalurina looked between Munkustrap and Tugger before twitching her whiskers in interest.

"Tugger?" Munkustrap stopped at the base of the tire, looking first behind him, where Demeter lurked above a crate (she gave him an encouraging gesture with her paw) and then up at his friend. "I… I'm sorry for what I said a couple weeks ago. I didn't mean to get all… um… pissy on you. I… er… I'm sorry."

Tugger blinked his golden eyes before turning to stare haughtily down at Munkustrap. "You clawed me," he said, his voice cold. "On top of being a Pollicle."

"And I'm sorry for that too." Munkustrap sat down, curling his tail around his paws. Bombalurina watched the exchange between the toms quietly. "Forgive me?"

Tugger flicked his tail side to side, washing his paw in deliberation. After several long minutes, he spread his claws and studied them. "You know… I think not. I'm not going to forgive you." He rose to his feet, glaring down at Munkustrap. "You're supposed to have better control over your temper than that, _Jellicle_ guardian. You hit me because you _wanted_ to… and I don't think I want to be friends with such a vicious cat." He sniffed, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "C'mon, Bomba. Let's find someplace else, someplace… _safer_." With that, Tugger leapt off the tire and stalked off, without even a backwards glance.

Bombalurina covered her mouth with a paw, staring wide-eyed between the toms. "Oh my… I'll try to knock some sense into him!" She darted off after Tugger, looking back over her shoulder several times.

Munkustrap stayed where he was, staring after Tugger long after the other cat had left. He barely even noticed when Demeter hesitantly approached and nuzzled his cheek, the most contact she had allowed since she kissed him the first day they met. "Munkus?"

Munkustrap shook his head, standing unsteadily. "No. I don't need him either." He turned a heated stare upon Demeter. "And not a word from you about this! There was a time before Tugger and I became friends. We don't _have_ to be friends. I'm going to focus on my training now. _That's_ what I'm going to do."

"If you're sure…" Demeter cowered away from Munkustrap's look, biting her lip.

Munkustrap nodded, glancing back at where Tugger had left. "Yeah. I'm sure."

* * *

Tomtail - Thomas  
Lizardbet - Elizabeth  
Nod - Bob (Robert)

The cats tried to translate most of the human names, a bit unsuccessfully.

To be continued in Musings... maybe...


End file.
